Telegraph-key



(No Modl.) V J H. ANDERSON.

TELEGRAPH KEY. v I ;No. 288,609. Pateiited NOVyZO, 1883.

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Attorney.

u. PETERS. Phmalilhngnpfw Washing'm 0.0

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIGE.

HOMER ANDERSON, OF PEEKSKILL, NEVVYORK,

TELEGRAPH-KEY.

SPECIZICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 289,669, dated November 20, 1883. Application filed May 29, 1882 (X model.)

To aZZ whom, it may concern Be it known that I, HOMER ANDERSON, of

Peekskill, inthe county of VVestchester and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Telegraph-Keys;

and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the inven outer end, the near or long end of the lever being provided with a vulcanite knob for finger manipulation, while at the other extremity or short end of the lever is a screw made long enough to pass through the lever and reach down to the key-base, on which this screw simply rests. Between the vulcanite knob and the trunnions is another screw, which rests upon a spring operating between the end of the screw and the key-base. Between this screw and knob, and over the edge of the base, the under side of the lever isvprovided with a platinum point, which in operation is caused to impinge on a corresponding platinum point in the base. The lever is hung by its trunnions between pivot-screws in posts erected .on the key-base, and is operated in this man ner-v-i. c.,the lever being hung by its trunnions, the knob end of the lever is lifted by the force of the spring and .forces the short end of the lever toward the base, until it is stopped by the screw in the outer end of the much manipulation the platinum-points become sticky, the result of corrosion of their surfaces by the intermittent passage of the The main feature of such keys is a lever hung on a spindle or trunnions near its,

current between them, and when this condition occurs it is frequently the cause of much delay and annoyance to the operator, or perhaps to the whole line. The points are cleaned by rubbing them with fine emery-paper, and to gain access to them the key must be thrown out of adjustment, and often the lever has to be entirely removed from its supports, an operation which is pregnant with veXations. Bad contacts between the lever and its baseconnections often interrupt the working of the key. Thetrunnions are a continual source of annoyance, as they work loose in the lever, or the holding-screws work loose; or careless operamrs will set the screws up so tightly as to require great tension of the spring to overcome the friction on the pivots, which causes hard working of the key. Indeed the defects due to the use of trunnions in keys, and the nature of the springs employed are believed to be the true cause of telegraphers cramp.

My invention is designed to overcome all the objections to trunnion-keys in the methods I will now describe.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a top view of my key. Fig. 2 is a side elevation, showing the details of its construction; Fig. 3 is a side view, showing the key-lever lifted in position to give access to the platinum points.

Referring to the drawings, A represents a key-lever, constructed of cast omvrought metal or any other suitable material, and is provided with a fulcrum, a, which, is made a part of the lever, or may be attached to it, and' a projection, c, for the reception of the retaining and actuating spring 6. The fulcruma is spread to a greater width than the lever, as shown in Fig. l, and its pointis brought preferably, although not necessarily, to; aknifeedge. This edge rests in a socket, i, in'the base B, of such shape that the fulcrum has no lateral movement, and is permitted to vibrate freely without the sides of the fulcrum touchin g the sides of the socket. This fulcrummay rest its entire length or only its ends in the socket. When the fulcrum is placed in the socket and the spring 0 is adjusted to the projection c, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the effect of the spring is to pull the outer end of the lever A toward the base B, the movement of the lever ing-screw h.

in this direction being regulated by the adj ust- The lever is now held in place by a force proportional to the strength of the Spring, which is regulated by the screw 70,- Fig. 2.

The spring-bearing 0 can be spread out, as shown; or it may be a mere hook suspended from the lever. I use it in this shape because it gives a steadier support to the lever.

The operation of the lever is now similar to that of any ordinary key. The strength of the spring is sufficient to retain the lever securely in place, and to resist any but extraordinary force downward on the knob or the knob end of the lever, so that the lever could not be lifted using the platinum points as a fulcrum. Toguard against throwing the lever out of position by side thrusts or blows, guides for the lever are provided, as shown at Z Z, which do not touch the lever, as the form of the fulcrum and its socket is such as to keep the lever always in a central position during its operation. Any hard upward thrusts against the lever might displace it; but as these are not liable to occur, I purposelyleave the top of the lever without any retaining guard, although one could be readily applied if found desirable. Bynot using one I am enabled to elevate at pleasure the knob end of the'lever, as shown in Fig. 3, and thugsecure instant and free access to the platinum points 0 0, for the purpose of cleaning them, after which the lever can be dropped to its place at once, ready for operation, no readjustments being required. As a security against thelever slipping from its secured end during this operation, I have provided a depression, b, in the base, for a resting-place for the point of the adjusting screw h. 'While the lever is thus elevated no ordinary usage can further displace it; but if it is found desirable to remove the lever, the point 0, spring 6, and screw h are so related that it can be instantly withdrawn from its place and as quickly restored without altering any of the adjustments.

I do not wish to confine myself to the form of the lever-guides Z Z, as here shown. A single pin projecting through the lever or more permanent fiXtu res than pins maybe employed. Neither do I wish to be confined to this particular form of spring, 6, although I find that it has peculiar advantages as here used, giving great firmness with an elasticity that is very desirable; nor to the form of the fulcrum here shown, as it may be so widened above its edge as to offer a guard against the gathering of dust in the socket, and the fulcrum may be so placed in the lever as to correspond with the trunnions of ordinary keys resting on posts similar to those of ordinary keys. I also claim the right to use an equivalent for the depression I) in the base. The depression might be in the point of the screw 71-, resting over a pin in the base.

0 and D represent a circuit-closer, such as is common to most keys. The key here represented is what is called a single-point key. By insulating from the base the screw-leg-E, and putting a platinum point therein and a platinum point in the point of the screw h, it would constitute a two-point or back-point key. This device is also applicable to polechanging keys as well as to the one and two point keys.

The same method of suspending a lever may be applied to telegraph sounders and relays with great advantages, a matter I desire to make the subject of another application for patent.

ables me to place the platinum points unusually far from the levels fulcrum, so that even in the hands of operators who like short movements of the lever in operating, a greater distance between the platinum points is secured, thereby lessening the liability to corrosion of the points. I can lessen the difficulty still more by the use of points made of iridium, cast in the form of shot. Ordinarily I should use points made of an alloy of platin um and iridium, in preference to pure platinum.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a telegraph-key lever, the combination of the lever A, knife-edged fulcrum a, springcatch 0, and screw h.

2. In combination with the key-lever, as described, the base B, depression i, spring 6, and

spring tension-screw is, substantially as shown.

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